As economic circumstances combined with some bewildering health messages, the once straightforward business of feeding the kids has become a minefield of worry and doubt for many of the nation's parents and carers. 62% of mums confess to worrying that they're not giving their children meals that are both tasty and nutritious, and four out of ten say that never having as much time as they want to prepare meals is a major cause for concern.

Our webchat aims to take the pressure off families at mealtimes. Dr Pat Spungin and nutritionist Dr Carrie Ruxton will be answering your questions about how you can balance healthy options for your kids with the simplicity of preparation to give yourself a break. Old prejudices about convenience foods are now being challenged by modern products based on real high quality ingredients. Log on to the chat for Drs Pat and Carrie's advice on which convenience foods can not only save you time and effort, but which are also perfectly healthy for your family to tuck into.

For more information visit www.bernardmatthewsfarms.com

H: Glen Thompsett, host
P: Dr Pat Spungin
C: Dr Carrie Ruxton, nutritionist

H: Hello and welcome to the Parenting Show, I'm Glen Thompsett. Now then, with the credit crunch forcing many of us to tighten our belts, it's hardly surprising that 62% of mums confess to worrying that they're not giving their children meals that are both tasty and nutritious. Research commissioned by Bernard Matthew farms also discovered that four out of ten mums are concerned they never have as much time as they want to prepare meals.  Well, on today's show I'm joined by Dr Pat Spungin and nutritionist Dr Carrie Ruxton who are here to offer advice for all those mums and dads watching. Welcome to the program, nice to have your company

P: Hello

C: Hello

H: Just a reminder that this is a live webchat, before we get underway, and if you have any questions on food-related issues today, feel free to fill in that little box on the screen, hit the send button, your questions come right through to me here in the studio and of course I can put your questions to our guests. Starting with you Dr Pat Spungin if we can – alarming figures, two thirds of mums worry that they're not feeding their children properly. How on earth have we got to that state in the first place?

P: Yes, this is a survey we did on raising kids, with two thousand mums, and we did it for Bernard Matthews farms as you said. How have we got there? There's so much information around about food, and there's so much concern about children's health and issues related to nutrition, and I think also that there's also the sense that the bar is very high. When you watch celebrity chefs, they give you the impression that everything has to be done from fresh, and we found in the same survey that almost 20% of parents felt pressured to cook from scratch every night, and for many parents this is just not possible. They just don't have the time to do that

H: Are we worrying, Dr Carrie Ruxton, about the nutritional value we're putting in, or not putting in to our children, do you think?

C: Yes we are, and quite rightly as well, because one in five children in the UK is overweight or obese, and we know from government surveys that children are lacking things like vitamin E, folate, iron which helps with concentration at school. So we're right to be worried, but the reaction to it, I think from the survey, shows that people are panicking and feeling anxious and feeling guilty, particularly about using convenience foods, whereas they should be turning it into action rather than just sitting worrying about it

H: Convenience foods you mentioned there, we all lead such a hectic lifestyle these days. For the majority of parents I would say, who are working – full time mums and dads, you know all they do is they stop off at the convenience store on the way home and grab something frozen, and pop it in the oven when they get home. Shouldn't we be doing that?

C: Well the thing is it depends on the convenience food because in an ideal world it would be great if we could all cook from scratch every single night, but as Pat says, with our busy lifestyles, we're feeling guilty because we simply don't have the time and energy to do it.  So it's ok to use convenience foods at times, and this is one of the reasons why I've been working with Bernard Matthews farms on a new range called Big Dream Tick, which has got a symbol on the front of the pack, on frozen turkey products, showing that that product is 100% British turkey breast, it's got no artificial preservatives, colours that mums are so worried about, and it also meets the government targets for fat, sugar and salt, and that's something that mums and dads can feel really confident about. When they go into the supermarket, instead of pouring over the label and turning that packet round and around

H: Which I do

C: Trying to work out what does this mean, they can just see the tick on the front, and feel totally reassured that a nutritionist, myself, has gone over that product and checked it out

H: It's – all about educating the children and the parents isn't it, it's easier said than done isn't it? We've got all these – as you mentioned a little earlier, all of these celebrity chef programs, in fact a lot of the terrestrial channels have taken kids programs off on a Saturday morning now and they've put celebrity chef programs on

P: Yes, yes

H: Is that done personally to aim at the kids do you think?

P: No I don't think it's done to aim at the kids, although I guess kids are watching something else somewhere else.  It's for parents, but I think parents also have to be mindful of the fact, if their kids are involved in cooking, they're more likely to eat it. If their kids are involved in cooking when they leave home and go to university, or go to start work, and live by themselves, they'll know what good food is, they'll know how to prepare a number of basic dishes, and then they'll eat well when they're away from home

H: Ok. Questions are coming in thick and fast, thanks very much for your questions.  Let's get through one from Gina on this very subject in fact, to you Pat. "I've been serving my kids fresh food every other day, inspired by celeb chefs on the telly, but I'm struggling to keep them interested right now. What can I do?"

P: Well I think that she doesn't have to turn out something that's wonderful, every day of the week, that she'll know her kids will like certain things. I mean most kids for example like spaghetti bolognaise, most kids like burgers, most kids like pasta with some kind of sauce with it. They don't have to have something different every day, give them what they like, that's fine. Give them what you know how to cook quickly, have something stored. I mean I, when I make – I cook – I make a lot of tomato sauce and freeze it in very little pots and then when I need a tomato sauce to throw on chicken or tuna or something like that, I've got it there. It's quick, it's simple and it's very nutritious

H: Do you think it's a question of you know, being bothered to actually come up with inspirations as a parent to cook a nutritional meal at the end of every day, because you know, mum, dads get home from work or whatever they're doing. You know it's too much hassle to get everything on the hob to start cooking, you know – just grab that easy ready-made meal off the shelf, surely?

C: Yes well again, a bit of both isn't a problem if the ready meal is a high quality ready meal that meets nutritional targets, and I can totally sympathise with the feeling of oh no, it's tea time again, because I'm a working mum, and what I tend to do is start planning at the beginning of the week, saying right, what are we going to have Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday? Weekends maybe everyone can help and mealtimes can be a bit more relaxed, but you plan in advance and you decide what you're going to buy from the supermarket, you have it all laid out, and I know it sounds a little bit boring but actually it gets you through the week, and as Pat says, you don't have to have something different all the time. If you have a menu plan that maybe runs for two weeks and then you start back at the beginning again, the children won't mind at all, in fact they like foods that they're used to seeing as well

H: You mentioned planning meals there, I mean in reality how many mums and dads sit down at a weekend with a piece of b lank paper and plan out a week's meal?

C: True

H: In reality very few do it, so what's the answer?

C: Well to do it, just try it – honestly I say to the listeners try it for a week, you will be amazed how much time it saves, because instead of going to the supermarket and then wandering aimlessly about thinking oh no, what shall we get this week, oh I've seen that on telly I'll have it, or you've got no idea whether the family will eat it or not – have your family favourites, and even have you know curry night one night, and you know quick, convenience night the next night – maybe all the family cooking together. And I think kids quite like a kind of a repetitive thing where they know every Friday night they're going to get fish or something like that

H: Yes

C: So it's actually quite fun to have this, and the kids will not get bored, particularly young kids, they like things that are familiar, and they don't like foods that are too fussy either. I mean my 8 year old likes to see what's on the plate, he doesn't want it all mixed in together, so I think parents can relax really

H: Yes

C: And set that example at the table as well – eat it with them, don't have the kids having their tea at one time and you eat later on

P: Yes, we've just done a survey on raising kids, asking parents what are you going to do now the credit crunch is coming, and one of the most consistent recommendations is don't go shopping without a shopping list, that's one thing. The other thing is don't go shopping with your kids

H: Or when you're hungry

P: Or when you're hungry exactly that.  And don't go with your kids because if the kids get fractious and irritable you'll rush through, and you'll grab things you don't want and need and forget things that you do want and need

H: Ok. Questions through from Amy on the questions coming through on the website. "IS it ok to have just one day a week as a less healthy day?" Surely a Friday could be reserved for pizza, fish and chips and beans or something like that?

C: Yes I don't see a problem with that

P: No nor do I

C: Because after all dietary recommendations are all about the long term, so it's not what you eat on a particular meal or a particular food, these recommendations for fat, sugar and salt are to do with the whole diet, and a diet is something that is long term, not short term, so as long as you're sure that the rest of the week you're trying very hard to be healthy, then I don't think it matters if you have one of those evenings a week where you all flop in front of the TV with a pizza

H: And all those healthy snacks as well, there are lots of healthy snacks, equally there are lots of unhealthy snacks

C: Yes

H: I mean kids love crisps and things like that don't they?

C: Yes

H: Packets of crisps on –

C: You can get healthier crisps nowadays, I mean there's a remarkable choice out there nowadays

H: Don't taste quite the same though do they really?

C: Oh they're not too bad and I think as well it's important to try and get a taste for things that contain less alt, and you know going back to the Big Green Tick Range which has got less salt, but because of the breadcrumbing that they use, has a very strong flavour so it's a lovely tasty flavour, and it doesn't rely so much on the salt like other convenience foods do

H: You mentioned Pat about educating children, I mean is there a good way of getting them involved in cooking? I know that celebrity chef programs try to do that and they're aimed primarily at the parents and the adults watching the program, but what about getting kids involved in actually cooking healthy meals?

P: One of my themes is that the family is a team, and the team works together to achieve certain ends, that's kind of a definition. And I think from being very, very small that you should involve your children in the things that are done for everybody in the house. So little kids can help set the table, as they get older they can help wash the lettuce or do something very simple, bring the food or mix, baking.  I mean I think that involve your children in doing things – it's an opportunity for you to do something together to talk together and to share. And they'll get an appreciation of what they're doing

H: And if you've got a nice garden with a bit of a vegetable patch, vegetable patch perhaps, or an allotment

P: Yes

H: Get them growing their own food as well, that's a great way – from growing to being on the table

P: It's actually a rule almost in psychology that you very seldom change anybody's behaviour by telling them what to do, and it's much more to involve them in doing something with you that will change things

H: Many mums though – Carrie – you don't touch convenience foods because it was condemned almost a little while ago wasn't it? We went through some strange phases, I remember in the '70s and the '80s we were urged to get freezers and stash the freezer full of frozen foods, then sort of late '80s, '90s and to a certain degree the beginning of the noughties, we were told to go fresh, so people are slightly confused as to what's best and what's not best

P: Yes I think again it goes back to what is it that you're buying from the freezer cabinet, and if you're buying something that doesn't contain any additives, which you know it comes from Britain for example – this survey showed - that Pat did – that parents were overwhelmingly interested in where meat products came from, and they particularly wanted to see British. You know half of the parents said yes we want British, and I think that's great, you know the message is getting through. So if you can pick up a product that's got the British flag on it, that says it doesn't contain artificial and it's 100% breast meat for example, that gives parents a lot of confidence to buy that product. And simply by turning over and looking at the ingredients list, you can see what's in it, and whether it does contain artificial ingredients that some parents don't feel good about

H: Ok

P: I think it's balance here isn't it?

H: It is

P: I mean there are a lot of frozen foods like frozen fish, frozen peas –

C: Yes

P: Which are very useful stand-bys.  And the other kind of convenience foods people don't think about as convenience foods are tins. Almost everybody will have tins of tuna, tins of sardines or pilchards

C: Tomatoes

P: Tomatoes of course, sweetcorn, things like this, are good stand-bys. You can – if you can't shop, you can just put something together from what you've got on the shelf

H: And it is looking into the fridge, looking into the cupboard and using your imagination to make things –

P: Especially during the credit crunch

H: Absolutely yes

C: And you can mix it with fresh things too, you know, mix something which is part convenience, part fresh and that way you're getting the best of both worlds

H: Ok, question from Charlotte here – "how can I be sure poultry in frozen food is of a good standard?" In fact lots of questions coming in here, but that one here from Charlotte, worried about poultry in frozen food

C: Well the things that she can look for are things like a union Jack sign, because legally you can't put that on the product unless the meat comes from the UK, and in the UK we have very high standards of farming, in fact a lot better than other countries around the world. And the other thing that she can look for as well is the little red tractor, which is another quality sign of animal welfare, quality of where that product has come from. So there are things on pack that help you decide whether or not it's a good quality poultry product

H: Ok. One from Sean here says - I love his English here –"I'm a busy man so sometimes I dude the ladies with convenience foods..but enhance the plate with lots of extra special vegetables." Nice on, thanks for that Sean

P: I think that's a good spirit, I mean that's the spirit of what Carrie was saying earlier. Don't beat yourself up because you're not perfect every day,  take something and work with it and make it better than it was when you started

H: Ok

C: In fact with the big green tick I've developed some recipes which are on the Bernardmatthewsfarms.com site, where you can get a convenience product and you can do other things with it, and add in the fresh vegetables too

H: Ok, another one from Thomas Charles Whitburn I think that is, "how can I be sure that the vegetables within convenience foods are British sourced?" Again you look at the packaging I guess do you?

C: Well with vegetables you can't tell unfortunately because the manufacturers do not have to put on the pack where every single ingredient comes from, because you can imagine if you've got ingredients from a large number of countries, the label would have to be about this size in order to accommodate it, so the thing is that buy vegetables fresh from places that you know are local. I mean I'm quite a fan of local food, so if you're looking for fruits and vegetables why not try your local market, try a box scheme which would come from your local farm, or sometimes supermarkets do run you know promotions about British veg. Look for things in season as well, and there's quite a lot of websites now where you can look at what is in season at a particular time of year, and that is most likely to be British

H: And I'm also a great supporter of your local butcher

C: Yes

H: Keep your village butcher alive and kicking

C: Yes, nice steak from the butcher

H: Absolutely, can't go wrong with that. Right another one from – no I believe we've got through all those questions haven't we? We have.  Sharon yes, beg your pardon, "how long do frozen foods last in the freezer?" Good question this one, "could I still serve them up in a couple of year's time?" I mean very often you see on the freezer lid or the freezer compartment, you know, fish, 6 months, chicken, poultry, you know 12 months or whatever. What's the answer

C: Well the longer you leave something, the more the nutrients are going to degrade and reduce, so the best thing to do is to use it as quickly as you possibly can, but frozen food will have guidance on pack, telling you how long you can freeze it for, so look on the pack and follow the guidance is what I would advise

H: Ok so interesting answer to that one.  Laura says "what top tips do you have for ensuring kids find healthy food appealing?" That's a good one isn't it? How do you find – get the kids to realise that maybe that broccoli is good for them, or that cabbage is good for them? They're just going to leave it on the side of the plate surely

P: Yes I mean I think, for anyone whose listening whose got small children, I would say start early and give your child a wide variety of foods because when –

C: Even at weaning

P: Even at weaning exactly, just cut down the salt obviously. But when they're very small they just like what you're eating. They like to eat with you, and have what you're eating, and that already sort of opens it all up, because they will get fussy later

H: One thing we do as a family, I've got two teenage sons, we make a point every evening of sitting down –

P: Ah yes

H: We mentioned this before we came on air today

P: Yes, yes

H: You know it's so important for families to sit down and almost talk about the day, review the day, how it's been for them and as a family – so many families these days don't do that do they, they sit in front of the television –

P: I think yes, I mean we talked about nutrition but actually what we should really be talking about is the pleasure of eating together, with your family, something that you've made for them which shows how you feel about them, and something that they'll sit down and enjoy and you carve out a little bit of a busy life, and it's not only your life that's busy, you know your kids have got homework, they've got their own TVs and their own computers – bring a whole family together and talk about it

C: Yes bring it back to what you were saying –

P: To talk about their lives

C: About how to get them to eat healthy foods, with my own son, when he was small I had a sticker chart with really interesting stickers of cartoon characters that he liked, and as he got older the stickers got replaced by pocket money, TV time, computer time, so if you say to them look try this new vegetable or meal and if you manage to eat some of it then you can have an extra 10 minutes on the computer or TV.  It really does act as an incentive just to get them to put it in their mouth and try it, and once they've tried it they usually find that they like it, so it's just really trying to get over that initial barrier, and keep trying. Some children need to be shown or given the food several times before they're willing to try it

H: Good advice. Sadly time's against us. Very quickly from both of you, top tips for parents feeling the culinary pressure with the credit crunch – what would your top tip be?

C: I think plan your meals in advance and look for convenience foods that have something like big green tick that tells you that the food is good quality and healthy

P: If you've been feeding your family of five five different dishes, try to cook something for everybody and pay attention to what you're making and enjoy it together

H: Ok, Dr Pat Spungin and Dr Carrie Ruxton thanks for joining us on –

C: Thank you

H: The Parenting Show today, and thank you for joining us. If you'd like more information on Bernard Matthews farms please log onto the website.  Of course that website is Bernardmatthewsfarms.com, bernardmatthewsfarms.com. From all of us here, thanks for joining us, goodbye